With the implementation of the new summer flight schedule on March 29, 2026, Cologne/Bonn Airport will see a significant expansion of its route network. A total of 26 airlines will serve 115 destinations in 38 countries in the coming season.
A key focus of the capacity expansion is on Eastern Europe and the Balkans, as well as on improved connections to major European cities. This increases the number of directly accessible capital cities to 26. Thilo Schmid, CEO, emphasized at the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin that the dynamic development of services is closely linked to the demand for city breaks, family visits, and business trips.
Of particular note is the expansion of key airline partner Eurowings, which is increasing its portfolio to over 70 direct destinations. New additions include Belgrade, Tbilisi, and a high-frequency connection to London Gatwick Airport with 13 weekly flights. Low-cost carrier Wizz Air is also significantly strengthening its presence at the airport, launching four new routes to Podgorica, Skopje, Bucharest, and Tuzla. This development underscores the growing importance of Eastern Europe as a strategic market for Cologne/Bonn Airport, with each of the new routes operating four times a week.
The Turkish market remains the highest-volume destination region, with an expected 2,1 million passengers by the end of October. The route to Antalya, in particular, is reaching a peak in Germany with up to 20 daily flights. SunExpress is driving this growth, expanding its service to up to 49 weekly rotations to Antalya. New destinations such as Trabzon, Çukurova, and Elazığ are also being added to the flight schedule. To handle the high passenger numbers, airlines are increasingly deploying wide-body aircraft on these routes, as well as to Istanbul, to maximize slot efficiency.
Despite its focus on the summer season, the airport is already looking ahead to the upcoming winter period of 2026/2027. Further diversification is on the horizon: Air Cairo is planning a new route to Luxor, making the airport the airline's most important hub in Germany. Additionally, the British carrier Jet2.com will expand its operations with flights to Bristol. In this context, management emphasizes that competitive conditions in Germany will remain crucial for the long-term development of additional routes, enabling the airport to compete with international rivals.